News

Northland College establishes laboratory for the north

May 29, 2013

Northland College
and the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute (SOEI) announced today the completion
of phase one of a research and environmental laboratory.

“This is a very
important development for the College and SOEI,” said Randy Lehr, laboratory
director and Bro professor of sustainable regional development at SOEI. “I
am excited about the possibilities for students and outreach to the region that
now lie before us.”

The Applied
Research and Environmental Laboratory (ARELab) is part of SOEI’s Ecological
Solutions Initiative, a new program working to promote water quality and
ecosystem health in the region

Located in the Larson-Juhl
Center for Science and the Environment building, ARELab recently passed
certification to conduct bacteria sample analysis. Sampling will start
immediately, Lehr said.

The laboratory will
be analyzing samples from regional water quality monitoring and student
research projects and will be providing beach monitoring bacteria analysis this
summer for Ashland County and the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa
Indians.

“This is the very
first step in the world of certification,” said laboratory supervisor and
environmental chemist Chris McNerney, who was hired last fall to create the
laboratory.

The next step
will be for state certification where the laboratory will be able to test for
nutrients, phosphorous and nitrogen, as well as other important other important
water quality measurements like total suspended solids and chlorophyll-a. This
will likely be complete in July.

Next comes
national accreditation.

Students will be running
the lab on a day-to-day basis. “This goes in line with Northland College’s
strategic plan,” McNerney said. “This is a literal learning laboratory — we’re
getting students ready to go out into the real world.”

Students will
first undergo a rigorous training program. “It’s step by step for students and
certification insures the quality control and quality assurance procedures are
in place,” McNerney said.

While students
are gaining experience, the laboratory will be providing services to northern
region not only for environmental and scientific reasons but also for regular landowners
who want their soil or well tested.

"The bonus to local landowners is that rather than sending their samples to a laboratory outside the region," McNerney said. "They can now send them to us and we'll be able to explain the results."